Conceptualising a recognisable space

The telephone booths of London, BEST buses in Mumbai, or McDonalds across the globe have 2 things in common: they are all hard to miss, and they are all branded in red. The exterior walls of Pause therefore, were all to be coated in bright red weather shield paint.

Pause on the Mumbai-Goa highway

Rohan Chavan Architects devised Pause, for long distance travellers of all kinds, on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

A cluster of facilities

The cluster has several access points, defining separate facilities for separate user groups.

Separate zones for men and women

Both the men’s and women’s sections lead out to an open space, allowing ample fresh air and natural light to filter in.

The women`s section

The men`s section

On the opposite end is a passage leading to the men’s zone, with a wash basin area, 4 toilet cubicles and 8 urinals – one of which is designed for a child.

For the long distance drivers

The suvidha kendra has banking facilities, while the amenities available for the drivers include a tuck shop, a hair cutting salon, an Indian-style toilet, a pantry and a designated space for washing and drying clothes.

Easily maintainable interiors

Large granite slabs have been used for the flooring – to reduce the number of joints – with dust-and-moisture-absorbing mats at the entrances.

Using perforated metal

Similar to Rohan’s previous projects here too, perforated metal has been used to segregate spaces and prompt circulation.

A RESTROOM

As Rohan Chavan tells us, Mumbai-Goa highway’s Pause is just the beginning, there’s more to come.

Conceptualising a recognisable space

The telephone booths of London, BEST buses in Mumbai, or McDonalds across the globe have 2 things in common: they are all hard to miss, and they are all branded in red. The exterior walls of Pause therefore, were all to be coated in bright red weather shield paint.

Pause on the Mumbai-Goa highway

Rohan Chavan Architects devised Pause, for long distance travellers of all kinds, on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

A cluster of facilities

The cluster has several access points, defining separate facilities for separate user groups.

Separate zones for men and women

Both the men’s and women’s sections lead out to an open space, allowing ample fresh air and natural light to filter in.

The women`s section

The men`s section

On the opposite end is a passage leading to the men’s zone, with a wash basin area, 4 toilet cubicles and 8 urinals – one of which is designed for a child.

For the long distance drivers

The suvidha kendra has banking facilities, while the amenities available for the drivers include a tuck shop, a hair cutting salon, an Indian-style toilet, a pantry and a designated space for washing and drying clothes.

Easily maintainable interiors

Large granite slabs have been used for the flooring – to reduce the number of joints – with dust-and-moisture-absorbing mats at the entrances.

Using perforated metal

Similar to Rohan’s previous projects here too, perforated metal has been used to segregate spaces and prompt circulation.

A RESTROOM

As Rohan Chavan tells us, Mumbai-Goa highway’s Pause is just the beginning, there’s more to come.

Toilet Talk: Meet Pause, an updated version of public toilets (but much more), on the Mumbai-Goa highway

Who among us hasn’t felt horrified by the thought of using a public toilet? Or the lack of one during long road trips? Public toilets have a deep-seated bad reputation, that CQ attempts to change with the new series: Toilet Talk. A series talks about cases and studies of public toilets from across Asia, which shows how public toilets are being rethought and examined for the better.

India’s trade and transportation relies heavily on trucks and truck drivers, a profession that has seen a rapid decline in numbers [Source: Business Today] , due to negligible amenities and excessive responsibilities. At present, truck drivers have little to no restrooms or pit-stops during long distance journeys; and the ones available are rarely more than a toilet. Looking at this data, Rohan Chavan Architects devised Pause, for long distance travellers of all kinds, on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

Conceptualising a recognisable space

The telephone booths of London, BEST buses in Mumbai, or McDonalds across the globe have 2 things in common: they are all hard to miss, and they are all branded in red. The exterior walls of Pause therefore, were all to be coated in bright red weather shield paint.

Pause on the Mumbai-Goa highway

Rohan Chavan Architects devised Pause, for long distance travellers of all kinds, on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

Rewind: Rohan Chavan and his work in the public toilet sector

Rohan Chavan and his studio has been actively partaking in changing the face of public toilets for sometime now. Early in 2016 Rohan designed the Light Box, a prototype for a public restroom for women, children and the physically challenged, which we had featured in CQ last year. Done in collaboration with TMC and Agasti, the project was widely appreciated, leading to his second public toilet project: Toilet in a Courtyard. Toilet in a Courtyard was designed for the Bandra suburban railway station, a heavy footfall area. Next on his course of redefining public toilets is Pause.

The primary objectives that were kept in mind while creating a material moodboard were efficiency, easy maintenance and easy recognition.

Introducing Pause: more than just a public toilet

Pause isn’t just a public toilet. It is a campus that hosts an array of facilities that serve long distance drivers. The cluster has several access points, defining separate facilities for separate user groups. On one end is the entry niche for women, senior citizen and the differently-abled. The women’s section has 4 toilet cubicles, a nursing station, a sanitary napkin vending machine and wash basins.

A cluster of facilities

The cluster has several access points, defining separate facilities for separate user groups.

The women`s section

On the opposite end is a passage leading to the men’s zone, with a wash basin area, 4 toilet cubicles and 8 urinals – one of which is designed for a child. Both the men’s and women’s sections lead out to an open space, allowing ample fresh air and natural light to filter in. This also helps keep the toilets dry.

Separate zones for men and women

Both the men’s and women’s sections lead out to an open space, allowing ample fresh air and natural light to filter in.

The men`s section

On the opposite end is a passage leading to the men’s zone, with a wash basin area, 4 toilet cubicles and 8 urinals – one of which is designed for a child.

Located between the 2 different toilet sections, is the suvidha kendra (convenience centre) and other facilities for truck drivers. The suvidha kendra has banking facilities, while the amenities available for the drivers include a tuck shop, a hair cutting salon, an Indian-style toilet, a pantry and a designated space for washing and drying clothes. This section, too, has a separate entry point.

For the long distance drivers

The suvidha kendra has banking facilities, while the amenities available for the drivers include a tuck shop, a hair cutting salon, an Indian-style toilet, a pantry and a designated space for washing and drying clothes.

Using perforated metal

Similar to Rohan’s previous projects here too, perforated metal has been used to segregate spaces and prompt circulation.

The material palette

The primary objectives that were kept in mind while creating a material moodboard were efficiency, easy maintenance and easy recognition. The telephone booths of London, BEST buses in Mumbai, or McDonalds across the globe have 2 things in common: they are all hard to miss, and they are all branded in red. The exterior walls of Pause therefore, are all coated in bright red weathershield paint, while the internal walls are in grey weathershield paint, washable and easy to clean. The cubicles are each made in aluminium and MDF (Medium-density fibreboard), materials which are durable and easily maintainable.

Easily maintainable interiors

Large granite slabs have been used for the flooring – to reduce the number of joints – with dust-and-moisture-absorbing mats at the entrances.

Large granite slabs have been used for the flooring – to reduce the number of joints – with dust-and-moisture-absorbing mats at the entrances. The doors are all made from perforated metal, keeping the interiors constantly ventilated.

Similar to Rohan’s previous projects here too, perforated metal has been used to segregate spaces and prompt circulation, for instance as the backdrop for the main signage, on the main gates, at the grooming centre and inside the toilets. All of these materials were locally sourced.

A RESTROOM

As Rohan Chavan tells us, Mumbai-Goa highway’s Pause is just the beginning, there’s more to come.

Third of it’s kind, the project sets out reboot the general idea of public – especially highway – toilets. The concept of public toilets being dingy, dirty and infrequent is here to change. As Rohan Chavan tells us, Mumbai-Goa highway’s Pause is just the beginning, there’s more to come.